Information for lawyers

This section provides links to news, guidelines, forms and many other resources for panel lawyers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

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Tariff and Billing Handbook

The handbook is a plain language interpretation of policies, procedures, and regulations for legal aid billing and the tariff. It is intended for lawyers (and their staff) already on a legal aid panel—duty counsel and/or private bar lawyers.

Disbursements

The Disbursements Handbook lists all disbursements requiring pre-approval. You will need to attach your invoices for such disbursements when billing. Billing unapproved disbursements may result in the denial of your expenditure for payment.

Legal aid panels

Lawyers who represent legal aid clients must belong to the panel﻿(s) for the type﻿(s) of law they practice. The standards for each panel provide the minimum experience and professional development requirements that lawyers must meet. Panel standards help ensure that legal aid clients receive high-quality services.

A road map for panel lawyers

We have developed a manual to help guide panel lawyers through their working relationship with Legal Aid Ontario. Please read it closely. It includes details and hyperlinks for all the facts we think you need to provide legal services to LAO clients. Go to A road map for certificate and duty counsel lawyers.

Contacts

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), an independent but publicly funded and publicly accountable non-profit corporation. None of this material may be commercially reproduced, but copying for other purposes, with credit, is encouraged.